As offense tries to find its footing, Rhamondre Stevenson & Jakobi Meyers stop Patriots' slide in standings

The film sessions in the immediate aftermath of New England’s 22-17 win over the Jets aren’t going to be pretty.

Yes, a win’s a win, especially on the road and against a young Jets defense on the rise. 

But be it Mac Jones’ sluggish start in the first half, more costly turnovers (with a momentum-shifting, 84-yard pick-six play for the Jets negated by a roughing the passer penalty), a sieve-like showing from the offensive line (six total sacks) and more dubious playcalling/execution — there will be plenty for New England’s offense to work on in the weeks ahead.

Had it not been for a complete meltdown by Zach Wilson (three interceptions, 64.6 rating), the Patriots could have once again found themselves sputtering on the gridiron, unable to drag themselves out of the sub-.500 slog that they’ve found themselves in for most of the 2022 season.

And even though Sunday was far from a banner afternoon for a Patriots offense still trying to find some semblance of cohesion, things could have been far worse for that unit had it not been for the efforts of Rhamondre Stevenson and Jakobi Meyers. 

In a season where New England’s passing attack and offensive-line play have been marred by inconsistency — and deviations in schemes and play calls have whittled down the list of dependable options for both Jones and Bailey Zappe to turn to, both Stevenson and Meyers have continued to stake their claim as safety blankets and “get-out-of-jail-free” cards for this offense — routinely bailing this team out of stalled drives and moving the chains with regularity.

In total, the Patriots accrued just 288 total yards of offense against the Jets, with Stevenson and Meyers accounting for 203 of that yardage — with Meyers reeling in New England’s lone touchdown of the day and Stevenson helping Jones escape pressure by being a quick outlet in passing situations. 

For as much as Stevenson’s game is built around a punishing attack in the trenches, the 24-year-old back has quickly evolved into a dependable receiving option — leading the team with 72 yards through the air on Sunday. Not too shabby, and this is just six days removed from a showing on Monday Night Football where Stevenson snagged another eight receptions for 59 yards. 

“He’s just all-around a great player. He can catch really well,” Kendrick Bourne said of Stevenson. “I tell him all the time, you’ve got some really good mittens, man. That’s what we need. To be able to be versatile, having a pass catcher out of the backfield is so big. He’s reminding me of James White. So, just to keep that kind of third-down threat with all our other wideouts and threats, it kind of makes it hard to stop us in a sense. Proud of that dude.

But Stevenson’s top play of the day did come on the ground, with the Oklahoma product opening the second half with a major gain. With New England trailing 10-6 at the half, a brutal kickoff by New York gave the visitors strong starting position at their own 38. Just one play later, Stevenson run through the hole and promptly trucked over Jets safety Jordan Whitehead and fought through an arm tackle — with a sequence that could have been tone-setting stuff for New York quickly turning into a 35-yard rush for Stevenson. 

With Stevenson carrying the Patriots into Jets territory, New England found the end zone less than three minutes later — with Meyers taking advantage of a block from Hunter Henry and scoring six on a critical 4th-and-1 play. 

Meyers’ touchdown gave New England a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the afternoon, with another key contributor in Nick Folk continuing to keep the Patriots afloat with a perfect 5-for-5 showing in field-goal attempts.

“Very important as far as just momentum, helping the defense out,” Meyers said of that opening drive in the third quarter. “The defense pretty much played great all day. We just had to give them a little something, a little spark. We made plays, coaches put us in a great situation and we executed."

With DeVante Parker knocked out of action after just one play on Sunday due to a knee injury and Henry, Nelson Agholor and Bourne each targeted just once by Jones, Meyers once again served as the top option for Jones in passing situations, finishing with nine catches in the win. 

Meyers hasn’t exactly been known as a red-zone target during his time in New England (although his three touchdowns in six games this season is a major step in the right direction), but the 25-year-old wideout is as steady as they come with extending drives with timely catches. 

New England’s opening drive of the game was a slog, with the Patriots needing 15 plays to move the ball 62 yards before eventually settling for a Folk field goal. But with Jones under pressure throughout that march, Meyers stepped up twice in third-and-long situations to extend the play — picking up gains of 16 (third-and-10) and 13 (third-and-11) to keep the chains moving. 

As the Patriots try to get Jones (and this offense as a whole) into a groove, it’s to be expected for more growing pains on the horizon. Much like Sunday’s win, there could be a lot more ugly football in store for this team.

But amid the questions surrounding this team when it comes to offensive execution, the Patriots should be buoyed by the fact that Stevenson and Meyers are starting to establish themselves as key cogs on a roster that desperately needs some stability — and playmaking talent. 

“It was more so a combo of the offensive unit,” Meyers said of New England’s slow start against New York. “It wasn’t just him out there trying to fit pieces of the puzzle together. We all kind of had to come together and block better, run routes better, get open better for him and protect him. It don’t always fall on his shoulders when things go south. We kind of all have to do our part."